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JIM HANULA (right), an entomologist with the USDA-Forest Service, shows a kudzu bug trap to Guillermo Alvarado, executive director of the International Regional Organization of Plant and Animal Health. Alvarado was one of 16 Latin Americans who travelled to the University of Georgia to learn about the kudzu bug. The Latin Americans hope the pest will not enter their countries, but they are preparing themselves in case it does.

Photo by Sharon Dowdy, University of Georgia

Sanctions hit cotton hard

Gardner said the country’s cotton industry was hit hard hit by the trade sanction. Strict guidelines that require containers be cleaned before being loaded with cotton products have already helped mitigate problems of transporting the kudzu bug, Gardner said.

During their visit to Georgia March 27-29, the 16 Latin American officials toured CanAm Yarns LLC in Cedartown to see how cotton is processed and packaged before it is exported to their countries.

With the help of Spanish translators, they spent two days on the UGA campus in Griffin listening to scientific presentations on the kudzu bug and asking questions.

“We focused on having speakers deliver the most up-to-date information we have on the insect, to be totally transparent and forthcoming in those discussions, yet emphasize that this insect is not unique to the southeastern U.S.,” Gardner said. “It also hitchhikes from its native Asian range.”

Rogelio Trabanino, an entomologist with Escuela Agricola Panamericana, attended the meeting to learn about potential biological control methods.

“I want as much information as I can get so we will be ready to control the pest should it enter our country,” he said. “UGA has laid a lot of the groundwork for us.”

A bean-eating pest would affect the food supply

The kudzu bug feeds on legume or bean plants. In countries like Honduras, any kind of bean-eating pest has the potential to affect a major food source.

“Our initial concern is over beans because they are a main staple and a source for protein here,” said Guillermo Alvarado, executive director of the International Regional Organization of Plant and Animal Health.

“Hundreds of thousands of acres of beans are grown by small farmers, and this pest would create an additional burden to these farmers and become a food security risk for us.”

“At the conclusion of the meeting, Honduran and OIRSA inspection and quarantine officials admitted there had been no problems with cotton product imports and acknowledged that the standard protocols used by the cotton industry are adequate in minimizing the risk of introducing the insect to their region,” Gardner said.

“They asked that similar protocols be implemented with the poultry industry and others.”

Hitchhiking on planes?

In addition to hitching rides in cargo shipments, OIRSA officials fear kudzu bugs may leave the U.S. on commercial passenger jets, he said.

“Kudzu bugs have been intercepted in the passenger area and baggage compartments of several flights originating from Atlanta with arrivals in Guatemala and Honduras,” Gardener said.

Honduran officials “have asked for some sort of protocol to address this problem. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is working with airport authorities to develop some sort of protocols to address these risks.”